Michael: Another Opportunity to Give

From darkness till dawn
The sentries tall and slender
Stand ready and proud.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Many good hearted retirees seek out ways to help their communities by doing volunteer work. I’ve done a little but haven’t gone out of my way to make myself useful. I’m not proud of that, but I’m not particularly embarrassed by it either. I figure when the right opportunity presents itself, I’ll happily or, who knows?, maybe even reluctantly, join in.

Last year I was asked if I’d like to help teach English as a second language. No problem. I never heard back from the person who contacted me.

Last Thursday Kimme and I were approached by a real estate agent’s son about volunteering to become search and rescue workers. Given the growing tourism of Volcan and it’s proximity to some very well known and rugged trails, we were surprised such a group didn’t already exist.

The group is just getting organized and the goal is to meet a few Saturdays a month to learn skills such as first aid, navigation and knot tying that would be crucial in search and rescue missions.

For us, not only would it be a great volunteer gig but also an opportunity to learn skills that we should’ve already acquired as fast pack hikers. Naturally, we’d help out in any way that we can. But if this pans out, I’m going to feel a bit guilty about volunteering for a group that, at least initially, would largely benefit me.